Veiled Affection
by DramaticStarlet
Summary: Their rings are shackles. His is just a little tighter. NateTess.


**veiled affection  
**(nate / tess)

:) Vale challenged me. So I wrote this. The smuttiness isn't all that explicit, so I didn't go over the **T** rating. Nevertheless, there's still a minor sex scene. If you're not comfortable with that, don't read it, okay darlings?

The song lyrics at the beginning are are "I Wonder" by Diffuser.

--

_and i wonder if you're happy,  
or just glad to see me scarred._

The clock ticks mercilessly, loudly, as Tess Tyler slips her hand into Nate Gray's back pocket. The time they have together is minimal – Tess goes on stage in little over twenty minutes.

Their meetings are always hasty, though, so they're used to being rushed.

The fervor with which they kiss is quick and practiced, a familiar tangle of impatient tongues and hands in hair. Tess saves her roughest kisses for Nate, because he's already scarred, so it doesn't matter if he hurts a little more (or so she selfishly believes). Nate foolishly loves Tess, so his kisses are varied, and he often wonders why Tess doesn't offer him the same courtesy.

"Hurry up," Tess gasps aloud as Nate's teeth graze her earlobe, "stop teasing me, Nathaniel."

Her tone is a strange combination of breathy and businesslike, but Nate complies because he's Tess's _lapdog_. Her meaningless play thing, good for nothing some good sex and a few false "I love yous" (at least on her part).

He slips his hand to the zipper on the back of her glittering pink dress, fingering the silky material as it falls to the dressing room floor. Nate's rough hands run all over her porcelain skin, and he smirks when Tess shudders with pleasure.

"S-stop, Nate," she pleads, her head falling back.

Nate takes advantage of his dominance. He kisses her neck, and a short hiss elicits from Tess's lipglossed mouth.

"_Damn it, Nate,_" Tess curses and pulls herself together, trying to regain her composure.

Her head snaps back up, and she focuses on a new task – unbuttoning his white dress shirt.

He smiles blissfully as her fingers accidentally graze his exposed chest.

"You're too attached to this," Tess murmurs, her lips pressing kisses to his neck as she finished with his shirt. It ends up somewhere near her dress, the stark white a sharp contrast to the hot pink.

"To what?" he asks, allowing Tess's fingers to undo his beige slacks.

He came to Tess's concert looking extraordinarily messy. Wrinkled white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of pants that aren't even his (in case you're wondering, they're his brother Jason's).

But now his shirt is gone, and his pants are about to be cast aside as well. Pants are not necessary for the activities that Tess has in mind.

"To me. To this," Tess sighs melodramatically, tugging at the zipper of his khakis.

"What gives you that impression?"

Tess is right – but Nate is much too stubborn to accept defeat, and just unclasps her lacy, strapless bra (because she hates straps).

"You kiss me too gentle. You never say goodbye. You're attached to me, admit it, Nathaniel," Tess smirks, her inner sadist coming out as her fingers graze the waistband of his boxers.

Nate doesn't respond, only kisses her as harshly as he possibly can, just to show her how very _un_attached he is. Even though he's lying to himself (but not Tess, because Tess always knows).

"Is that all you've Nate? We both _know _you're still in love with me," she groans, tangling her fingers in Nate's curls as he nibbles at her neck.

And those words are the last straw.

Nate bites at her neck, breaking the skin slightly, and Tess takes a sharp breath inwardly at the sudden pain.

Their contact is rough, angry and Nate is sure that every kiss they press to each other's skin will leave bruises.

"I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do when Shane sees me," Tess laughs slightly as Nate runs a hand through her cascade of honey blonde hair.

A pang of guilt shoots through Nate at the mention of his older brother, and a dull ache sets in his stomach. He swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing, as he erases the image of his brother Shane's face.

"I don't care," Nate lies again, pulling her black panties down. Tess follows his lead.

They stand, completely exposed to one another, for a moment, and Nate can think that they're a couple, like they used to be. Before Shane stole Tess away. But no hard feelings, because Nate couldn't hold a grudge even if he tried – at least not against Shane or Jason.

"Do you love me, Tess?" Nate whispers tenderly into Tess's ear, though he already knows the answer.

She dodges the question; _"Just screw me."_

He doesn't.

"Oh, for God's sake, Nate. Yes, okay, I _love_ you. Now will you screw me?" Tess huffs impatiently.

It's a lie – she doesn't love him – but it's enough.

He enters her quickly, and she bites back a scream of pleasure.

Nate says nothing, only buries his face in Tess's shoulder. Her hands tangle in his hair, and for a moment he can pretend that she's _his_, that the golden band on her left finger bonds her to _Nate _and not his _brother_.

He doesn't notice, but his own ring – a simple band of gold – is like a shackle, tying him to a women he loves, but not as much as he loves Tess. A shackle that keeps him away from the girl he loves most, and makes what he's currently doing that much more inappropriate.

He pulls out slowly, and lifts his head to see Tess's eyes closed in ecstasy, her breathing heavy.

"Thank you," she says, and he kisses her forehead, "but we have to stop doing this."

Nate looks at her wearily; "Why?"

She's told him this lots of times before, all for different reasons. The excuse she uses this time is the most logical.

"Because you love me."

Before Nate can respond, his cell phone goes off in the pocket of the khakis that aren't even his.

"You should answer."

"It's not important," Nate shakes his head.

"Suit yourself. I'm going. And I know you have some people waiting," Tess shrugs as she tugs on her panties and bra.

Nate is silent, quietly dressing. His phone continues to ring, but he refuses to answer. It's probably just Jason or (God forbid) Shane.

As if by magic, Tess is suddenly fully dressed, shoving on her ridiculously high heels.

"Goodbye Nate," Tess flashes one of those generic smiles she's perfected before stalking out of the room.

Nate only smiles sadly and finished putting on his shoes.

After Tess shuts the door, Nate collapses onto the floor, and stares at the glitter star stuck on the wall. It's pink and sparkles when the light hits it, and Tess's name is on it, in conspicuous white script.

_Tess Tyler_. Because she refused to take Shane's name.

He reaches into his pocket for his cell phone, and listens to the message that the person who called left.

_Hi, Nate? It's Mitchie. I was just worried, because you haven't called all day. You don't have to call me back, because I know that you're probably tired, but I wanted you to know that I love you. So...I love you, okay? _

It's his wife. It's Mitche. And he smiles as he listens, because he knows she means every word.

He hangs up the phone, and stares at the Tess star, and then at himself in the mirror.

He looks like a wreck – hair too long (his curls fall into his eyes), rumpled clothing, broken heart.

And as he stares at his reflection, he absolutely despises what he sees – a liar, a cheater, a _coward_.

So he stands up.

And he leaves Tess Tyler-never-Gray's dressing room.

He takes a subway back ti the town where he's staying in a hotel with Jason and Shane, and ignores their questions ("Where the hell have you been?" from Shane and "Why are you wearing my good pants?!" from Jason).

And they take their tour bus. And they drive _all _night, because Nate needs to get back home, away from the temptation of being so close yet so far to Tess.

During that time, Nate thinks about Tess and Mitchie. How Tess kisses him roughly, with little to no emotion other than anger, and Mitchie kisses him all kinds of ways each touch of their lips new and familiar.

Tess screams profanities when her and Nate have _sex_. Mitchie moans words of love as and devotion as they _make love_.

Tess is cold-hearted and bitter, looking for a perfect little toy. Mitchie is warm and inviting, wanting to give her whole heart away.

Nate can't figure out why he loves Tess more than Mitchie, especially when he finally gets home, and Mitchie tears up at the sight of him.

"I miss you so _so _much," she whispers, and he kisses her gently, "you're not allowed to leave me anymore, okay?"

Nate grins (and it feels good to smile and mean it); "Silly Michelle."

"Silly Nathaniel," Mitchie mimicks before burying her head in his shoulder.

His cell phone vibrates in his pocket, and he takes it out.

_CALLING: Tess._

"Who is it?" Mitchie asks.

"No one important," Nate stares at his phone before tossing it across the room.

Nate is more than ready to let go of Tess, even though he knows it's going to hurt more than anything else.

He's going to say _goodbye_ – even if it kills him.

--

**The ending was...not great, but I already re-wrote it like six times. /**

**Please review with more than "so sad/cute" or "i loved it," thanks!**


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